1797 Capped Bust Right Eagle. Heraldic Eagle. BD-3, Taraszka-11. Rarity-5. EF Details--Repaired (PCGS).Offered is a boldly defined survivor from the scarce Capped Bust Right, Heraldic Eagle ten-dollar gold series of 1797 to 1804. Most design elements retain full striking detail, particularly throughout Libertys lower hair curls and the eagles wing feathers. The obverse shows uniform hairlines and evidence of tooling that is most apparent at Libertys cheek, while the reverse is relatively well-composed despite faint hairlines in the fields. The bright, brassy-gold complexion is accented by hints of richer honey patina shadowing the reverse devices. With its impressive size and status as the largest gold coin denomination struck at the early U.S. Mint, the ten-dollar eagle is held in high regard by many advanced type collectors and gold specialists alike. In an absolute sense it is more challenging to collect than its half eagle counterpart, being produced in far fewer numbers before President Thomas Jefferson halted coinage of the denomination in 1804. (In contrast, half eagle production continued virtually uninterrupted from the series inception in 1795 through its end in 1929.) As the first Heraldic Eagle issue of the Capped Bust Right eagle series, the 1797 is particularly popular with gold type collectors. This minimally circulated EF example will certainly appeal to a great many bidders in todays highly competitive numismatic market.PCGS# 8559. NGC ID: 25ZY.
